This was only one troop that had been attacked, but it also meant that there would be other troops that would be attacked by the Godly Clothing Army that night. It would not be just this one.
Lin Muyu felt a chill down her spine. Gong Shangming seemed to have predicted that she would retreat. How did he do it?
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
Wei Chou was a little confused. He stood in the pool of blood with the Demon Devouring Bow.
"We can't go to Cangnan Province directly." Lin Muyu's voice was very soft. She said, "We can't let the other troops be attacked. Listen to my command. Send out all the scouts. The rest of you, follow me to the main road and cover the troops retreating from Winter Frost City."
"Yes, I will do it right now!"
…
It was not until the early hours of the morning that Lin Muyu's 10,000 infantry and cavalry killed two more troops of the Godly Clothing Army that came to attack them. However, there were too many people returning from Winter Frost City to Cangnan Province. Many troops along the way were attacked, and it was not just the army. Some caravans were also attacked by the Godly Clothing Army.
Treading Snow kept snorting. It was tired after a night of running. If Treading Snow was like this, the other warhorses were even more so. Some of the warhorses were even foaming at the mouth. They had to rest for a while, or the entire team would collapse.
At this time, it started to rain. It was the rain of early summer.
Situ Xue held up a green oil-paper umbrella and stood beside Lin Muyu to shield her from the rain. However, Lin Muyu gently pushed her hand away and smiled bitterly. She said, "Ah Xue, there is no need. Thank you. Let's move now."
"Move …" Situ Xue blinked her big eyes. "Move to where?"
"Everyone is tired. Let's go to the nearby village to rest for a while. Feed the horses and get some food. Otherwise, I am afraid many people will not be able to hold on."
"Yes, yes."
The rain was getting heavier, drenching everyone's armor. However, no one wanted to take shelter from the rain. They just moved forward in the muddy water, maintaining their formation. This was the prestige of the Longdan Army Camp. If it were an ordinary local army, they would have long scattered to hide from the rain.
Treading Snow's hooves followed the potholes on the ground. Lin Muyu looked up at the sky. A powerful aura was rushing over. It was Ice Palm Wu Tong.
"Whoosh!"
Wu Tong landed in front of Lin Muyu with a wisp of icy air. He cupped his fists respectfully and said, "Successor, I have news from the direction of Winterfrost City. Not long after we left yesterday, Winterfrost City was occupied. The occupiers are a group of cavalry who call themselves the Divine Cloth Army. There are about thirty thousand of them."
"30,000 cavalrymen?" Lin Muyu frowned. "Do they have any other plans?"
"Yes."
Wu Tong said, "I have found out that the commander of the Flowing Silence Army, Caster, has also left the Luo River Estuary Fortress with the fastest cavalry and heavy cavalry. They have gathered with the cavalry of the Divine Cloth Army in Winterfrost City. They have about a hundred thousand cavalrymen now. Two hours ago, a large number of cavalrymen left Winterfrost City and are rushing here."
"What did you say? They are rushing here? "
"Yes!"
Lin Muyu frowned and did not say anything else.
Wei Chou said in a low voice, "Your Highness, what do you think Gong Shangming is trying to do?"
This was the last thing Lin Muyu wanted to guess. Gong Shangming seemed to know everything. Every attack was aimed at her weakest point. Lin Muyu clenched her fists and said, "I am afraid we cannot go to Cangnan Province."
"Why?" Situ Sen and Situ Xue asked in shock.
"Because Gong Shangming does not want us to go."
Lin Muyu wiped the rainwater off her chin and said, "They have gathered all the cavalrymen in order to kill as many of us as possible before we reach Cangnan Province. If we continue to go in the direction of Cangnan Province … I am afraid there will not be many of us left by the time we reach the steel wall of Dao River. No, we cannot go to Cangnan Province."
"There is only one way." Wei Chou squinted his eyes and said, "We will gather all the troops and supply teams and wait for them along the way. We will fight them to the death. This way, we may be able to force them to retreat. Otherwise, we will only die on the way. Our troops are too scattered to the point that we cannot fight back."
"No, there is another way."
"What way?"
Lin Muyu looked towards the south through the curtain of rain and said, "This place is closer to Qinling Mountains. Our cavalry and infantry will not be fast, but once we enter Qinling Mountains, this disadvantage will no longer exist. In the mountains, their pure cavalry and our mixed infantry and cavalry will move at the same speed. We will follow the White Mang Mountain all the way to Ling Kong Province and directly reach Zhan Long Pass and rendezvous with Xu Jiantao's troops. This is the only way."
"But …" Wei Chou frowned and said, "Zhan Long Pass not only has Xu Jiantao, but also the Exiled Angel Corps. I am afraid this may not be the best choice, Your Highness."
"It is better than sitting and waiting for death. Alright, there is no need to discuss anymore."
Lin Muyu lightly waved her hand, "After entering the village, rest for six hours. Send out a letter and order all the surrounding imperial troops who could not retreat in time to gather and then go to Qinling Mountains together."
"Yes!"
… …
Fortunately, this early summer rain stopped after a short while. After the sky cleared up, two troops gathered. One was Su Yu's Zither Dragon Army, and the other was Zhen Yifan's God Might Battalion. The Zither Dragon Army had eight thousand soldiers, while the God Might Battalion had ten thousand. Together with Lin Muyu's ten thousand infantry and cavalry from the Longdan Army Camp and part of the Winter Frost City's garrison troops, they quickly gathered around this small village of forty thousand soldiers.
After the troops set off, another group gathered along the way. It was another branch of the Longdan Army Camp. There were more than seven thousand soldiers, and the total number of soldiers was close to fifty thousand.
Other than that, there were still many civilians who were unwilling to leave. However, many of them did not leave when they saw the Qin Emperor's flag and followed the troops from afar, unable to be driven away.
Situ Sen came from the back of the troops with his sword in hand and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the situation is not good. The civilians of Winter Frost City and the surrounding provinces are unwilling to leave. What should we do? If we bring them along, not only will they be too big of a target, but they will also slow down our march. What should we do? How about … I send out cavalry to disperse them? "
"No."
Lin Muyu raised her hand in a hurry. "We can't be so unreasonable. If we really do that, we won't be able to return to Lingdong Province in the future."
"Then what should we do?"
"Come with me to have a look."
"Yes!"
When Lin Muyu brought Wei Chou, Situ Sen, and Su Yu to the back of the army, they saw a dense crowd of civilians following from afar. They had brought their families with them. Some were pushing wheelbarrows with rations and farming tools on them, while others were driving donkey carts. All of them looked tired, and many of them were still soaked. No one had escaped the heavy rain just now.
"Emperor Qin!"
"It's His Highness Emperor Qin!"
"His Highness Emperor Qin is here …"
The civilians recognized Emperor Qin, and they quickly knelt on the ground to worship him. For the civilians, Emperor Qin was the only symbol of the Qin Family. It was because of him that the Qin Army had the courage to continue to contend with the powerful enemy.
Lin Muyu got off the horse and said with a gentle look, "Dear elders, the 300,000 soldiers of the Empire of Tianji will be here in the blink of an eye. Lin Muyu is incompetent, and I have few soldiers. I can't resist the powerful enemy, so I can only abandon Lingdong. You should run away on your own. Don't follow the army. I swear, as long as there is a chance, I will lead the army to kill our way back and recover our lost land."
An old man stood up shakily with the help of a walking stick and said, "Your Highness, we have nowhere to go. Along the way, there are not only thieves, but also bandits and bullies in the mountains. If we don't follow the army, I'm afraid we can't escape death … Your Highness, no matter where you go, we are willing to follow you. Please don't abandon us …"
The rest of the people chimed in, and some even began to wail loudly, their grief spreading everywhere.
Lin Muyu frowned. He was not a hypocritical person. He did not know these civilians and had no connection with them. But he knew that if he refused such a request, the Qin Family would lose the support of the people in Lingdong. At that time, it would be even more difficult for him to recover Lingdong.
He thought for a while, then said in a clear voice, "You can follow me, but if you have a chance to live in a nearby village, don't hesitate. If you follow me, you will be homeless and miserable, and suffer a lot. Moreover, our army doesn't have enough food, so I can't distribute it to you. I hope you can understand my difficulties. You can follow me, but the army of the Empire can't be burdened by the civilians anymore. Otherwise, we won't even have the capital to make a comeback."
"Yes, Your Highness, we all know that!"
"Your Highness, we will never be a burden to the army!"
"Rest assured, Your Highness!"
The civilians spoke with certainty.
…
But in the evening, a group of beast cavalrymen of the Empire of Tianji appeared on the horizon, and the civilians fled in all directions.
"Haha …"
In the sky, a huge black eagle was circling. It was the wolf falcon of the Dragon Knights. Gong Shangming must have found the main force of the Empire of Tianji. Wei Chou raised his hand and shot an arrow, killing the wolf falcon directly. But it seemed that there was nothing he could do.
"They are here."
Ling Shu descended from the sky and said, "At least fifty thousand cavalrymen, and almost fifty Dragon Knights. I also feel the aura of the God Emperor. Beiming Huan should be here as well."
Wei Chou begged, "Your Highness, let's fight. We can't just hide like this!"
"No."
Lin Muyu's voice was calm, "We don't have magic crystal cannons, and we don't have too many Devil Heart Arrows and White Drill Arrows. Plus, they have the elite troops of the Godly Yi Army. Not to mention our fifty thousand soldiers, even the one hundred thousand elite soldiers of the Longdan Army Camp at their peak might not be able to defeat them. We can't fight, we can only retreat. Pass down my order: the whole army is to keep marching to the Qinling Mountains, and the two thousand soldiers of the Third Battalion will stay behind to stop them."
Wei Chou's voice trembled, "Your Highness, are you going to let the two thousand brothers of the Third Battalion die?"
Lin Muyu nodded, but didn't deny it.
Situ Sen stood at the side, stunned. After so many years, Lin Muyu had indeed changed. He was no longer as unyielding and intense, but he had also become more calm and steady. Although he had changed, he was more qualified to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Only such a person could turn the tide and reverse the situation.
However, when Situ Xue saw Lin Muyu clenching his fists so tightly that his veins were bulging, and his fingertips almost pierced through himself, she couldn't help but feel a little distressed, and said, "Your Highness, let my brother pass the order …"
"Okay."
Lin Muyu patted Taxue's head and said, "Continue to march at the speed of the army, don't stop."
"Yes!"
…
Under the setting sun, a group of two thousand infantrymen holding heavy shields and spears left the formation. Under the command of the battalion commander, they all smashed their shields to the ground, and spears pierced through the gaps between the shields. Pairs of eyes stared straight at the densely packed enemies in the distance, as if they had formed a steel wall in the open field. However, this steel wall was made of flesh and blood.
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